Imagine A Car Driving A Washing Machine

April 21, 1996|By Julie Edelson Halpert, New York Times News Service.

DETROIT — If your house was among the tens of thousands that lost power last winter in severe storms, you may have wished for a backup generator that could keep your home's basic electrical systems running. If a new technology proves itself, the solution may be sitting in your garage.

Aura Systems Inc., a small electronics company in El Segundo, Calif., has developed a device with which an idling car or truck could provide household current in emergencies or power mobile kitchens or offices.

The company demonstrated its system at the recent international congress of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Aura has merged the functions of the alternator and the starter, which cranks the engine, into a compact new motor.

The motor contains electromagnetic coils that surround a gearless flywheel. The coils create an electrical force that, when engaged, causes the flywheel to turn rapidly, starting the car's engine or generating power far in excess of an alternator's output.

Ron Goldstein, senior vice president of Aura, says the alternator-starter produces about 4,000 watts while the car is idling, about double a house's basic electrical needs. A conventional alternator provides about 500 watts at idle.

Powering household appliances for an hour would require a half-gallon to a gallon of gasoline, roughly three times as much fuel as the power company would use.

The system would likely include an automatic shut-off switch that would disconnect the home from the utility's power grid if the electricity is being generated by a vehicle, safeguarding service people from possible electric shock.

A car's alternator produces alternating current, the kind used in a home, but it is converted into direct current for storage in the battery. Aura's device would direct some of this AC power to a connection that could be used for household applications, either the 110 volts that power most appliances, or the 220 volts used by electric ranges and clothes dryers.

It would not require significant modifications to a car's battery or electrical system, which would continue to operate on 12 volts of direct current.

The device also would allow for traveling kitchens or offices in which drivers or passengers could plug in coffeemakers, microwave ovens or computers. Bill Baker, a Recreation Vehicle Industry Association spokesman, said that reasonably priced, the technology could be used for campers and motor homes.

Lindsay Brooke, a spokesman for the Chrysler Corp., said the auto companies were struggling to meet demand for the power to run gadgets such as car phones and fax machines. But he added that Aura's technology would need more testing to see whether it would work on a large scale.

Goldstein estimated that Aura's motor could raise the price of a new car by $20 to $100, if widely adopted. He said Aura had begun talks with carmakers but had signed no contracts. With an auto company's backing, he said, the device could be in new cars in two to three years.

John Miller, an electrical engineer at Ford Motor Co., described the Aura system as "very attractive to someone who's lost power in their home," though he predicted that the device would not be offered for at least 10 years.

He said that Ford had researched such a device but had determined that the cost of some needed components remained too expensive for mass production, nor did the company perceive strong demand for the technology.